In August last year the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was looking into toning down the restrictions that American airlines place on electronic devices during takeoffs and landings. The restrictions may soon be relaxing, at least as they apply to “electronic readers”.
Sources connected to the FAA-appointed group investigating the expanded use of electronic on board flight have told The New York Times that the aviation authority is hoping to make changes by the end of this year. The apparent changes aren’t as extensive as some were hoping for, covering only “electronic readers”, presumably devices like the Kindle and Nook e-readers, that are set to Airplane Mode but it is a start.
The FAA currently allows the use of iPads for pilots on American flights, so there seems to be no reason why that access can’t be expanded to include passengers. For the moment however it seems that e-readers will be the first items that passengers will be able to keep powered up for the entire duration of a flight.
Source: Digital Trends